Epicurean Evening highlights need for continued environmental protections
When it comes to providing fresh produce, Wisconsin farms are in a league of their own. Just stop by the Dane County Farmers Market on any given Saturday and see for yourself: fresh herbs as far as the eye can see, piles of colorful peppers, assorted alliums, every shade of green under the sun, and too many tomatoes to count.
With such an abundance of fresh ingredients at an arm’s reach, it’s no wonder so many chefs flock to Madison. For Evan Dannells — head chef of Cadre and Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge — discovering the state’s bounty of quality fruits and vegetables when he moved here years ago was eye-opening.
“I came to Wisconsin and I was like ‘Oh my god this is so much more than I ever thought it could be,’” Dannells says. “We have the largest producer-driven farmers market in the world, and the Driftless region is probably the most abundant region in the United States in terms of its ability to grow. It just clicked with me.”
Dannells is one of five chefs supporting Clean Wisconsin’s 12th annual Epicurean Evening gala this year; he’s joined by Salvador Luna of Red, Logan Riese of Johnny Delmonico’s Steakhouse, Patrick O’Halloran of The Deliciouser, and Shawn Bolduc of Baked Lab.
Together, these five chefs will use their talents in the kitchen to shine a light on the inherent link between our environment and the food we eat. After all, there’s no better way to bring people together for a common cause than through shared conversations over craft cocktails and delicious food.
“I always just love when chefs get to come together and the camaraderie of helping each other and making food for a good cause,” Dannells says.
It’s no secret that Wisconsin’s food scene is thriving because of the local, fresh and healthy foods farmers bring to the table year after year. But countless sources of contamination threaten that reality on a daily basis.
“Heirloom varieties of vegetables are finicky, and they’re finicky because they weren’t bred to be resistant to things, and they weren’t bred to grow fast,” Dannells says. “They need to grow slow and naturally. The more we damage the ecosystem, the harder that becomes to do.”
Pollution has downstream effects on our communities’ livelihoods, too. Dangerous compounds like PFAS have contaminated drinking water wells around the state, affecting thousands of Wisconsinites; nitrate contamination from fertilizer and manure has done the same; growing research shows neonic pesticides similarly threaten ecosystems and water quality. Without protections to keep Wisconsin’s people and environment safe from these harms, we risk destroying what makes our state welcoming for longtime residents and tourists alike.
That’s why Caitlin Suemnicht, vice president of business development for Food Fight Restaurant Group®, says it’s so important for us to fight for a clean and sustainable future.
“To us, hospitality is more than just about serving great food,” she says. “It’s about caring for the community and environment that make food possible.”
In other words, the health of our environment has a direct connection to our individual and collective well-being.
Fighting to protect our resources that are constantly under threat is not easy, but it is necessary. Without them — the water we drink, the soil from which our foods grow, the air that plants and animals rely on — we’d be lost.
“If we don’t take care of our water, we’ll lose our ability to have that sustainable agriculture and this abundant land that we have,” Dannells says. “So, it’s all very full circle, right? We could only do what we do if we take care of the land around us.”
Visit cleanwisconsin.org/eetix/ to get a preview of this year’s menu and buy your tickets today!
